Air Force X-37B space plane lands after record-breaking 718 days in orbit
NewsMay 08, 2017
NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. The Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4 (OTV-4) unmanned, reusable space plane landed at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility on May 7, 2017, after an unprecedented 718 days on-mission.
The X-37B's classified mission was the fourth for the program; while all four launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first three landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Since then, however, Air Force officials have said they want to consolidate X-37B launch and touchdown operations on Florida's Space Coast.
The Air Force is known to possess two such X-37B space planes, both of which were built by Boeing. The 29-foot-long (8.8 meters) X-37B looks like NASA's now-retired space shuttle orbiter, only much smaller. The X-37B also launches and lands like the space shuttle did -- vertical during launch and horizontal for a runway landing.
Lt. Col. Ron Fehlen, X-37B program manager, said, "This mission once again set an on-orbit endurance record and marks the vehicle's first landing in the state of Florida. We are incredibly pleased with the performance of the space vehicle and are excited about the data gathered to support the scientific and space communities. We are extremely proud of the dedication and hard work by the entire team."
